Page 198 - Geoffrey Budworth "The Pocket Guide to Outdoor Knots"

Purpose
This is one of those nooses that is actually employed as a hitch. Use it to attach a

line to a ring or other item of hardware that is likely to be shaken violently about

(such as the metal clips on a flag halyard). Do not use it for jobs that will require
it to be untied quickly because, with the final tuck trapped within the knot, it is
prone to jam—which is what is required of this knot.

Tying

Tie what is in effect a clove hitch with the working end around the standing part
of the line (figures 1–2). Tighten the resulting knot tight and then pull the loop

shut (figure 3).

Knot lore
Aboard large sailing ships, this knot was used to attach a rope called a buntline

to the foot-rope of a topsail. This line passed up in front of the sail to a block on
the yard and was used to pull the bottom of the sail up and so spill the wind out

of it. In the process canvas and cordage shook violently, so a very secure knot
was needed.